PS3 Leading In 2007, Says Report

"New research says Xbox 360 won't hold lead forever.

Almost every day there's another research firm releasing the results of their analysis of the next-generation videogame market, and Research and Markets, an international market research and market data company, has released a 27 page prediction of videogames over the next few years.

The highlights include speculation we've all heard before. Research and Markets says Xbox 360 will pull ahead of PlayStation 3 through its early launch, but Sony will regain leading control of the market by the end of 2007. Nonetheless, the report predicts Microsoft will hold a substantial 30% of the hardware market by the end of 2010.

Research and Markets also foresees online gaming becoming an increasingly important part of the gaming experience, with Microsoft's Xbox Live service leading the charge. The research overview provides no speculative details on whether Sony or Nintendo's services will be comparative.

The next-generation console market as a whole will actually peak in 2008 according to the report, eventually generating $21.9 billion, whereas software sales will rise through 2010 at $16.8 billion.

The full report promises to compare all three next-generation hardware releases, though the overview provided in the press release and on Research and Market's website doesn't provide any insight to what, if any, impact Revolution will have on the market.

1UP's working to obtain a copy of the full report." [link]